Real judgements, distilled
Court judgements broken down into the case type, how the decision played out, and the lesson worth remembering, with the full judgement available as a PDF.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1094
An older qualification must still satisfy the eligibility rules governing the appointment sought. Here, the certificate's early date did not secure reinstatement, and rejection of eligibility should not be confused with a conclusive finding that the certificate was forged.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1095
A party benefiting from a conditional stay must meet its deposit requirement or face enforcement. The additional ₹15 crore deposit secures the pending dispute; it does not settle the land's final compensation or amount to an immediate payment to the landowners.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1093
An alleged attempt to kill does not become a lesser offence simply because the victim avoided a fatal injury. Restoring this charge means the accusation must be tried; it does not establish that the accused is guilty.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1090
For the assessment in this case, assistance reducing ordinary manufacturing costs was taxable even though the government wanted to encourage industry. The purpose and actual operation of the particular subsidy mattered more than its general development label.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1091
Proof that someone caused a serious injury does not by itself prove the additional ingredients of robbery. A court can substitute a lesser offence supported by the evidence; the sentencing reduction here depended on Appa's particular circumstances.
Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2026 INSC 1092
Someone challenging an election must ensure that the personal-presentation requirement is met and can be proved. Merely entering the court building does not establish compliance, and a filing defect can end the challenge before the election allegations are examined.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1088
An employee who retires on 30 June may be entitled to the increment that falls due on 1 July after completing a year of service. Authorities that delay paying the amounts due must pay interest after the deadline set by the court.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1089
Recruitment must follow the qualifications stated in the advertisement and the governing Recruitment Rules. A court will not override a merit-based eligibility decision made under those rules merely because the candidate concerned was higher in the written test.
Writ Petition (Criminal) · 2026:DHC:8797
A person who occupied property only because of employment has no independent right to remain once the employment and decree end. Even when a petition fails, courts can make practical arrangements to let a person recover personal belongings.
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Log in to see moreThe appellant won a Ward Councilor election in Haryana. The losing candidate (the first respondent) first filed an election petition challenging the result, but when the appellant raised a procedural objection, the respondent withdrew that petition with liberty to file a fresh one, and then filed a second election petition a day later, beyond the 30-day limitation period prescribed under Section 176 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. The trial court initially dismissed the fresh petition as time-barred, but the District Judge and then the High Court allowed it, treating the gap as curable under the Limitation Act.
The Supreme Court held that the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act is a "complete code" governing election disputes, following its own binding precedents (including Hukum Dev Narain Yadav and Lachhman Das Arora) holding that special election statutes with their own limitation periods exclude the general provisions of the Limitation Act, including Section 14 (exclusion of time spent in a withdrawn proceeding). Since the fresh election petition was filed beyond the mandatory 30-day window prescribed by Section 176, it was liable to be dismissed outright, and the High Court had erred by overlooking binding precedent on this point. The appeal was allowed, the High Court's order set aside, and the election petition stood dismissed.
When a special law (like an election statute) sets its own strict time limit for filing a case and is meant to be a complete, self-contained procedure, the general extensions available under the Limitation Act, such as excluding time spent on an earlier withdrawn case, generally do not apply, so missing the deadline even by a day can be fatal.
